A CORONATION Street favourite has quit the cobbles after two years.
Actor Jack James Ryan has quit his role as Jacob Hay with his final scenes airing tonight to the devastation of fans.
Coronation Street favourite Jacob leaves Weatherfield for good
Viewers watched this week as Jacob’s dad Damon revealed his true colours and set up Jacob for the loss of £50,000 worth of drugs to get him away from him.
Given the choice between staying and being killed, or going on the run and surviving, Jacob did the only thing he could, and fled.
But before he left he warned Nick Tilsley of what his dad was doing – and told him that he was even more dangerous than Harvey.
He then went home and set himself up to be caught dealing drugs by girlfriend Amy Barlow so she would end their relationship.
Jacob tried to beg his dad to let him stay, even offering to deal drugs again, but Damon wanted his son gone – and told him how he would bury him himself if he returned.
The reformed dealer was forced to leave in tears in the back of a cab leaving viewers devastated.
One wrote: “I hope this isn’t the last we see of Jacob, he deserves more than this type of exit.”
A second said: “Why are you letting your best young actors leave @itvcorrie He was a really good actor.”
Another added: “Mickey off Shameless giving Jacob s**t on #CoronationStreet Hope @JackJamesRyan_ isn’t gone for good – he’s one of my favourites now!”
Actor Jack James has opened up about his reasons for quitting the soap.
“It was a really hard decision because I love the character so much,” he told HOAR.
“But I was coming up to the two year mark on the show and the conversations upstairs were very much about the fixtures and fixings.
“We were looking at the long haul of being on the street which was incredibly humbling.
“But I’m still young and there’s so much stuff that I want to go and do. I felt that I’d come and done what I intended to do.
“There’s the Corrie bingo card and you tick off what you want to do.
“Apart from a wedding and a tram crash I feel like I’ve done it all in two years. It just felt right. It felt like the right time to leave the show.”
He added: “I grew up on this show, my mum didn’t miss an episode so neither did I.
“I watched and invested in this street and these characters for years. It was such a proud moment coming from Manchester getting to walk on those cobbles. Even just logistically the studios are 15 minutes from my house.”
Jack James will watch his final episode tonight with his co-stars at Elle Mulvaney’s house as a final leaving party.
But he’s already admitting that he could return one day.
“Never say never,” he said.
“I kinda have a daydream in five years time when Amy’s settled down, and about to marry the man of her dreams, then Jacob bursts through the door and objects.
“It would be cool for him to clear his name, I think he does deserve it.”
However he has already booked his next job and while he is remaining tight-lipped on what it is, it begins filming next month and will take him into the summer.
“I have booked a job and I’m really, really excited for it,” he said.
“I start filming next month and I’ll be filming for four months. I can’t say what it is yet but I’m very excited.”
